hopalong_
Highlights
2013 Oscars
Lifetime Total
5+
IMDb Member
22 years
Reviews
Reign of Fire (2002)
Some nice special effects shots contributes to making the story somewhat entertaining
*possible spoilers*
In a dark future dragons rule the world, and mankind are on the verge of destruction. When the dragons woke up from their sleep and started setting the world on fire, men took shelter wherever they could, hoping to survive.
The story is set outside London where we meet a group of people lead by Quinn (Christian Bale), and get an insight in their lives and their fight against the dragons. One day Van Zan (Matthew McConnaughey) and his men turns up intruding their sheltered lives. He claims to be a dragon killer and seeks help from Quinn to rid the world of dragons.
*end of spoilers*
It's an action movie packed with nice effects, and for the action freaks there will be many favorable moments. As many other movies in the same genre it lacks a good and intriguing story. You don't need 180 in I.Q. to know what's going to happen next. It's painfully predictable. But in the movie's defense, I doubt that it will claim to be the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to the storyline.
On the contrary I'm sure the point of the movie was not be thought provoking. The purpose was probably just entertainment. And they barely succeeded. I didn't mind watching the movie, nor would I have minded not watching it if it weren't for a couple of really beautiful special effects shots.
It'll probably entertain someone and annoy someone. Myself find it very average.
Rating: 4/10
Øyvind Holen
In a dark future dragons rule the world, and mankind are on the verge of destruction. When the dragons woke up from their sleep and started setting the world on fire, men took shelter wherever they could, hoping to survive.
The story is set outside London where we meet a group of people lead by Quinn (Christian Bale), and get an insight in their lives and their fight against the dragons. One day Van Zan (Matthew McConnaughey) and his men turns up intruding their sheltered lives. He claims to be a dragon killer and seeks help from Quinn to rid the world of dragons.
*end of spoilers*
It's an action movie packed with nice effects, and for the action freaks there will be many favorable moments. As many other movies in the same genre it lacks a good and intriguing story. You don't need 180 in I.Q. to know what's going to happen next. It's painfully predictable. But in the movie's defense, I doubt that it will claim to be the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to the storyline.
On the contrary I'm sure the point of the movie was not be thought provoking. The purpose was probably just entertainment. And they barely succeeded. I didn't mind watching the movie, nor would I have minded not watching it if it weren't for a couple of really beautiful special effects shots.
It'll probably entertain someone and annoy someone. Myself find it very average.
Rating: 4/10
Øyvind Holen
Le pacte des loups (2001)
Good storytelling combined with nice visual effects = entertaining
Brotherhood of the wolf takes place in France during the enlightment period. It's based on a true story, and a frightening one I must say. In the province of Gendauve people are mysteriously killed by a beast known as "le bet". The king of France sends his best men to hunt the beast down and reassure the people of France.
The setting of the movie is very nice. There's lots of beautiful French nature and idyllic backgrounds and add some neat special effects you have a sweet visual impression.
But a good visual impression is never enough to make a good movie (a few exceptions, The Matrix for example), and this is where Brotherhood of The Wolf differs from many others in its category. The story is screeching for a good movie but I feel this could very easily have become a flop. The way the story is presented to us makes it really interesting and entertaining.
Vincent Cassel plays delightfully latent evil and actually there's not many flaws to find on the acting part at all. All in all it's an interesting movie and it's fun to see that there are made good movies outside the USA to a higher extent than before. So if you have the chance, go see it, it will hopefully entertain you as much as it did me.
Rating: 7/10
Øyvind Holen
The setting of the movie is very nice. There's lots of beautiful French nature and idyllic backgrounds and add some neat special effects you have a sweet visual impression.
But a good visual impression is never enough to make a good movie (a few exceptions, The Matrix for example), and this is where Brotherhood of The Wolf differs from many others in its category. The story is screeching for a good movie but I feel this could very easily have become a flop. The way the story is presented to us makes it really interesting and entertaining.
Vincent Cassel plays delightfully latent evil and actually there's not many flaws to find on the acting part at all. All in all it's an interesting movie and it's fun to see that there are made good movies outside the USA to a higher extent than before. So if you have the chance, go see it, it will hopefully entertain you as much as it did me.
Rating: 7/10
Øyvind Holen
Dungeons & Dragons (2000)
Almost tragicomic
Are you a fan of the game? I'm sorry to say that there's not much chance you'll be a fan of the movie. It disappoints with everything from bad acting to lousy dialogue. But there are a few bright spots, though they might be hard to find. I've tried to focus on the good parts.
Jeremy Irons seem to like playing bad mage and he does it with some style. Marlon Wayans character is not too good though, he lost a lot of the respect he earned with me from the excellent "Requiem for a dream". Mr. "Saving the world" himself is unstable, there are times that he reminds me of what I thought the hero in D&D would look and act like, but in some scenes he seems more like a boy scout than a hero.
The visual part of the movie is ok. There are some good animating (and some less good) and moody settings. A few times I actually felt that the scenes matched quite a lot with my impression of the game. The people in charge of the costumes also need a pat on the shoulder, especially Irons "good guy" costume was nice.
For the action freaks there might be some good moments...for me there was one fighting scene that was worth watching over again, but not more than that either.
To sum things up a bit: It's bad, sort of really bad, but with a few glimpses of potential for the observant ones. In other words this is not a movie you need to see. I'm sure there are other movies that will please you a lot more.
Rating: 3/10
Øyvind Holen
Jeremy Irons seem to like playing bad mage and he does it with some style. Marlon Wayans character is not too good though, he lost a lot of the respect he earned with me from the excellent "Requiem for a dream". Mr. "Saving the world" himself is unstable, there are times that he reminds me of what I thought the hero in D&D would look and act like, but in some scenes he seems more like a boy scout than a hero.
The visual part of the movie is ok. There are some good animating (and some less good) and moody settings. A few times I actually felt that the scenes matched quite a lot with my impression of the game. The people in charge of the costumes also need a pat on the shoulder, especially Irons "good guy" costume was nice.
For the action freaks there might be some good moments...for me there was one fighting scene that was worth watching over again, but not more than that either.
To sum things up a bit: It's bad, sort of really bad, but with a few glimpses of potential for the observant ones. In other words this is not a movie you need to see. I'm sure there are other movies that will please you a lot more.
Rating: 3/10
Øyvind Holen
Fallen (1998)
Great cast, and an imaginative movie
This film really surprised me as it came out of nowhere...that is the director and writer was not very famous. The cast was famous enough though. The only logical explanation for the beautiful cast to play this movie is that they fell for the story, and so did I. Really enjoyable to see Goodman, Gandolphini and of course Washington.
It's dark and gloomy and will definitely demand a little imagination from the viewer. I mean, the viewer can't be very conservative and needs to be pretty open minded. I really enjoyed this movie in almost every way, it's a really good mystery/thriller.
On the downside the plot could have used some more work. There are some holes that are a bit hard to swallow. And the movie also tends to be a little "over-explained" at times, which is not necessary at all times.
To sum up...the movie is very good. I definitely recommend it!
It's dark and gloomy and will definitely demand a little imagination from the viewer. I mean, the viewer can't be very conservative and needs to be pretty open minded. I really enjoyed this movie in almost every way, it's a really good mystery/thriller.
On the downside the plot could have used some more work. There are some holes that are a bit hard to swallow. And the movie also tends to be a little "over-explained" at times, which is not necessary at all times.
To sum up...the movie is very good. I definitely recommend it!
Ofelas (1987)
What a relief to watch good non-Hollywood movies
Pure brilliance this is!
Living very close to the land and culture that's described in the film I really enjoyed this film. The way everything's been explained and displayed in the film is very satisfying. And I might add that it's not required to have an interest in the culture to watch this movie. That is to say that the movie works on every level! Gaup delivers a very strong and entertaining movie. I only wish it can have a broader audience, because it deserves it. I have no problem recommending this film to anyone with a slight interest in movies!
Living very close to the land and culture that's described in the film I really enjoyed this film. The way everything's been explained and displayed in the film is very satisfying. And I might add that it's not required to have an interest in the culture to watch this movie. That is to say that the movie works on every level! Gaup delivers a very strong and entertaining movie. I only wish it can have a broader audience, because it deserves it. I have no problem recommending this film to anyone with a slight interest in movies!
Englar alheimsins (2000)
Beautiful, sad, funny and relevant
As far as I know this was my first experience with Icelandic movies. It's such a relief to see something else than your regular Hollywood motion picture. Too bad that movies like this one have a small chance of succeeding in the big world. I can only hope that people watch this by accident, by recommendation or other...
Because it's really worth while. I left the cinema feeling really sad. I couldn't get the tragic destiny's of the characters out of my head. And it impressed me even more when I thought of the complexity of the film. Not only was it a tragic story, it had excellent comic reliefs and a very good soundtrack.
If you have the opportunity, watch it! It's really thought provoking and made me ponder a lot.
Because it's really worth while. I left the cinema feeling really sad. I couldn't get the tragic destiny's of the characters out of my head. And it impressed me even more when I thought of the complexity of the film. Not only was it a tragic story, it had excellent comic reliefs and a very good soundtrack.
If you have the opportunity, watch it! It's really thought provoking and made me ponder a lot.